416 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

*norable ild. #. Cbnmbero, Chairman 

:Ieyenus and TarnLion Coznittes 

FUSS of iiepresentatlrar 

tosty-ninth Legirlature 

kuetin, TaXAs 

Fund, and it belaw, arid tlw General 

uo Pun4 raaoM8 tha delnt, would it be 

r0r the Stats 

1.r of Publlo AOt0 iO8uO a6ri0it 

Ei**lJt. OOVWia@ th6 approDrhtlOn? AIla Othar rd.&tea 

opinion ruque0t ama in view of 

u, understand you deriro an opinion 

~IPtllG Lefi$slat.ure, by a row-firm8 rote 

of the tots1 rnembershlp of each House, passes an 

epproprlatlon bill, rnrrklag an approprfatlon rrom 

the General kevenue iQnc¶, and it beoobtda a law, and 

th6 General fierenue Fund r6rohre tkm befioit point, 

would it be porrlbie for t&m State Com9troller to 

tame vwrrants coverlag, the appropriation? 
e. 

*Should an e?prcprIatIon bill be passed by a 

four-riftbe ;najorIty o? eeoh ,Houae, would suoh a 

vote be evidence than An eaargenoy Au An lmperatlre 

nroeealty exietea:’ 

3. 

nShoula the approprlution by the IPglalAturo 

be within the Comptroiler*s ratimfato a8 tilea under 

oath with the Oovernor, and ir It l uba~pwntl~ should 

develop that for some UnfOres6en oauao the l ouroea of 

revonw 8hou~a aiminlnh to the poIht that it w0uia 

not aeet tha a~proprlatIon, w0ua the aerioit thus 

oreateb be A la& obllg~tloa upon the StAte?v 

Tha eourta hove never oonatruad the language In Seotlon 49s of krtIole 3, as adopt4 by the voton at the oleotlon 

held In Hovorobar 1949, and we ahall attempt to oonatrue 8a.ae together with other asotiona ol the Constitution, particularly the 

ioliorlng l motIon8: 

“Se0. ars, Art. 3. He bill aball have ths 

form oi a law, until it has bean real on three 

several daga In eaoh Heuse, and tree dlao~usalon ellow0a thereon; but in oases OS iqmmtlve pub110 

naoeaalty (whIoh naoeaaity Wall ba atsited In n 

preamble or In the body of the bill.) four-fifths 

of tha Houaa, In whloh the bill maf be porrding, may 

suajmnd this rule, th8 ye@8 and nays bein@ taken on 

the question oi auspenaion, and entered upon the 

~Olml418." 

“Soa. 39, Art. );. Ho lew psaaed by the LagIslature, eXoept the general aQpropriAtiOa Pot, ahall 

take ofieot or go into for00 uhtll nloety day8 after 

the AdjOurrrPIInt of the session at whioh it was l hAoted, 

unless In owe of an emorgenoy, which emergenor must be 

Arpreeaed In u preaablr or in the body of the act, the 

Legislature ah~ll, by a vote of two-thirds of all the 

nmzbera alooted to each house, otherwIse direct; said 

vote to be taiiea by yeas aWi nuya, and sutered upon the 

Jo arIluls. ” 
*tiea. 49a, at. 3. It aball be the duty of the 

~m~troller 0r Pub110 ncomnta in crAmmoe or Ohoh ii+ 

gular seoslon of the Ls$ialr*ture to prsparo and sub&t 

to t&e Governor and to the LegialatUre upon Ita convenia a atatewnt under oath skiowing ruliy the tinanoial 

8onAItlon of the State Treasury at the OlOae of tbo last 

flsoelpsclod end an l atlncrte of the probable neelpta 

und dIabUr6emntr for the then ourrent rlaoal par. 

TJ bi 

her 8hAl.l 18o bo oontrined n as d 8tctteiuent en 

to zed eat at0 of the ant10 1 pate 4 revenue baaed 

oa the laws then La afieot thet will be rooelred bf 

end fop the ritete from all aoero~a l howlng tha fund 

scootit to be aradited during the l uooeeding blonnium 

end maid atetosent ahell oontela l ueh other Informetlm 

0.1 may be mpulr@3 by law. Supph~ntSl 8tAbISSnt8 

ahall be aubnitted to any S9eolal Searion o? the kgl8- 

J.eteend r e at l uoh other tlm88 a8 may be aooeaaary to 

ahow probable ohaap8e8, 

Vkor amI aftor Jutwry 1, 194S, l ava in tbr oaao 

OS emergency aa& lqetatlre pub110 aaoo8aIty and with a 

four-fifth8 vote or the total aeaber8hip ef eeoh Rouse, 

n0 l pproprletloa la oxam of tha oeeh end eatlolpate4 revenuo OS the fund8 from whloh 8uoh appreprlotloa 

la to k pplde a&U be wia. Jma ana after JUUUU~ 1, 

194b, no bill oentalnia& an approprlntion shall be aoal iaerea am pa800a or k rant to tba Qorernar for oonaiaeration until and unloaa the coaptrollar of Publie ~ooounta 

udoraea his OertIflObk therWIll ShoWin that tha amcant 

appropxiatod la wlthln the amount l atlmtetl to k atallable la the affeoted funas. When the Ccmrtroller find8 

M &pproprli&lon blu exceed8 t&m l atlamted. roteme bo 

shall andorae auoh flndlng theraon uid return to th8 

mun In yhloh astee orlgiaated. i&oh inioroiatlan shell 

tn immdietely aadr known te both tha House of Lcqrol antative8 end tke senate end the neoesaery atop8 ahnll 

be takoa to bring 8U0h epproprlatlon to rlthln the rev*nue , either by provldlng aAdItIona1 revenue or reduolnc, tin appropriabioa. 

*For the purpore ot ftzmnolng the outatandl~ 

oblIg,tlona of the 5eneral he?enUe FuOd O? the state 

and 91AOlZ@ It8 eurreot ao6ounta on a oerrh baaia the 

tigial&tura OS the jtrte Of fOXa is hermby AUthOrisOd 

to provide for the Iasuanoe, SAh, and retlrentent ot 
41.9 

o4rial bonds, equal in prinGlp41 to t!-ie total outetanding, vdia, and 62pr0vaa oblig.,tiono owing by 64ia 

fund on &.j&r&ibar 1, 1943, provided o:ioh Sondo ohall 

not araw intereot in oroose of two (g&j per oent ;ler 

OMUPL and shall suituro within twenty (eo) year8 from 

date. ;idopted elootlon Hot. 3, 194Z." 

1. 

Your queotion No. 1 lo aaowored in the aiilrn~tivo 

if in S;rat an emergency an6 on Imp4rative public neoo441ty exioto. 

TM language in Sootion 49o, hrtiolo 8 io olerr that In oaoeo of 

mrgeaoy and tip4ratIvo pub110 neoaoolty the Legiolaturo maay, 

br 4 four-flit~vote OS the t0tal a4mberohip st eaoh H0uo0, paa8 

4n appSOPrlatiOn In 4xo4oo OS 4ooh and antlolpated revenue. 

E. 

Yie are of the opinion that a four-flftho vote would 

not bo 4vId4no4 that an emrgeney and 4n iap4ratIve pub118 n4440- 

oity 4rht46. Sootion 98, Artlolo 5 6~10 with ths qu40tiion OS 

“irpoxatlve publlo nooeooItya in l uopendlna tha rule r4puIrIng 

blllo-to k reed on three oeteral dnyo, and thlo motion provider 

that thlo neoeaolty ohall k l tnted In 4 preamble or in th4 body 

Of the bill. 5eotion 30, Wt1cl.o 3 de@18 with th4 queotloa or 

*4a4r6enoyn In prOVidill(l for th4 time 8t whtah 4 bill oh411 take 

OISeot, and thio oootion otateo thot an l ~tgenoy auot be 4xPreooml in o proa&blo or In the body of the Aot. It io true 

that DL) suoh require*& IO OontaIuod In SootIon 49a, but we 

think, ln view oi the above MntiOAtld oeotiono OS tlu OonItltution, ths l air glan would be to state the emargsna~ 

and laperative publi4 neoesolty either In the preemblo or 

In the body of the bill. 
3. 

Your third pueotion lo aneweraa in th4 arflrnmtive. 

1f the Comptroller** eatbaste 4Qowo tk;it the oa4h and anticipated 

revonuea ~4 eufflolsnt to oovar th4 appropriation ena it later 

dvpslopo that the oouroeo of revenue, for 80a8 untorroesn 04~04, 

m dImInished to the point that o.~am would not ar4t the appropriation, the appropriation would k valid and a 14~x11 obligation 

of the State. 

C. F. Diboon 

Aoriotant